


Good Bedside Manners

by unlawfulRoach



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Relationships, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No major game spoilers, Phineas is gay thanks for coming to my ted talk, Relationship Inexperience, Sappy, Spoilers for Parvati's companion quest though, Touch-starved Phineas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-29 22:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21417391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unlawfulRoach/pseuds/unlawfulRoach
Summary: The Captain experiences post-hibernation trauma.
Relationships: M!Captain/Phineas Welles, Male Captain/Phineas Welles, The Captain/Phineas Welles
Comments: 15
Kudos: 153





	Good Bedside Manners

The sound of glasses clinking and raucous laughter filled the room. The crew of the Unreliable were out for a night at the Lost Hope to celebrate Parvati finally asking Junlei out after days of deliberation and anxiety on her end. They sat at the bar table engaging in louder-than-necessary conversation and the occasional good-natured jeering when Felix said something particularly stupid. The ceaseless advertisement in the background had quieted to a low drone over the evening drinking.

“So, I heard there was poetry involved.” Felix inquired with a wicked grin, leaning forward on his already precariously balanced seat. The cheap metal of the stool squeaked in protest, indicating it probably wasn’t long for this world.

“Where did you hear that?” Parvati asked defensively. She looked down to her glass of beer before her eyes widened in realization. “Captain! I thought that was between us!” She cried as she swiveled on her stool to the right. 

Valera winced at her volume and ran a hand through his shoulder-length salt and pepper hair, trying to soothe the headache blooming at his temples. Law, she was a complete lightweight. At least it wasn’t whiskey this time. The poor girl had the worst hangover after she asked for his advice about Junlei over drinks. He figured she owed him a couple of jokes after the thorough scouring of his romantic advice, which honestly he didn’t have much of. Despite being maybe a bit more middle-aged (not counting stasis years) he hadn’t had much luck on Earth. He’d been too engrossed in his work to focus on relationships and most people were put off by his eccentric personality. Not that there was much opportunity in the present, either. He’d been taking every odd job he could find to put together enough bits for the Stellar Bay Navkey. His crew definitely weren’t an option, either. Valera wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he viewed his crewmates as a sort of found family. 

“I figured I’d keep that bit around. Think of it as a sort of payment if you will. It’s not my fault she’s a crap poet. Probably spends more time around machines than writing poetry. Makes sense she’s the perfect match for you, ” He replied in an almost affectionate mocking tone. “Now ‘Scuse me, the Captain needs another drink.”

Parvati colored as Valera got up and made his way to the other side of the bar table, engaging the bartender in an animated conversation almost instantly. Felix turned away and leaned back on his stool to hide a snicker but quickly hunkered down onto the bar top with a slam of the chair’s legs on the metal floor as it was snapped back forward.

“Oh shit, shit, shit,” He mumbled while looking straight ahead, head low and avoiding eye contact with everyone and everything in the room.

“It’s my old foreman,” He hissed. He gestured conspicuously-inconspicuous to the group of people that had entered the bar. 

“The one you hit upside the head with a tossball stick?” Whispered Parvati.

“Naw the other one.”

“There was more than one?”

“Of course not! Everyone on this station knows I’m trouble!”

“Well, gee Felix I didn’t know you figure sarcasm out over a few drinks.”

“Sorry I've been under a lot of stress lately Armstrong got tossed out of the Rangers game last night for running a foot goal in the Wednesday zone and SAM ‘decontaminated’ my room and burned my favorite poster and we were out of creamer this morning for my coffee and though I KNOW Max used it all he just keeps denying it and-“

Felix was cut off by a firm hand grabbing his shoulder.

“Last I recall, I seem to remember a little shit looking a lot like you giving me a straight concussion,” Rasped the man, tightening his hold on Felix’s shoulder. He was a tall man, built from years of hard labor in an unforgiving system. He was flanked by two others, a man and woman, looking equally rugged.

“Buddy! The ol’ foreman! My good man! My favorite ex-boss whose totally not thinking of getting revenge over the time his employee hit him upside the head with a tossball stick. An employee who was great at his job, by the way. And clocked in on time, on alternating Tuesdays that is,” Felix rattled nervously in a forced camaraderie. He tried to inch his way off the stool as he spoke but the foreman’s hold was unrelenting.

“Relax. I’m just here for a bit of, ah...tic for tac as you could say? A concussion and week in the infirmary really gets the gears thinking. You know I missed out on a week's worth of wages, yeah? And someone’s gotta pay for those medical bills. The Board ain’t, that’s for sure,” He broke off into a mirthless laugh. “Great coincidence you showed up here though. I’m gonna feel a lot better about the situation when your teeth are spread halfway ‘cross the establishment.”

“Haha-wait maybe we should talk this out over drin-“ Felix interrupted himself with a yelp as the foreman sharply pushed him off the stool like he was a sack of nanners. The stool let out a dying screech as it crumpled along with him.

Valera stopped his halfhearted bartering attempt with the bartender over a glass of Zero Gee Brew when he heard Felix yell. He looked over, drink hanging limply in his hand, seeing Felix on the floor with a tall man looming over him and Parvati struggling viciously against the restraint of a woman. The other patrons yelled and cheered, gathering around the scene in wild excitement.

Valera let the drink slip from his fingers and shatter onto the floor, joining the other miscellaneous detritus. He marched his way over to the fight, moving past the other patrons in cold determinism with his gaze set dead on the tall man. Just as the man was rearing a kick on downed Felix, Valera approached him from behind and with faux calmness tapped him on the shoulder.

“Wha-“ He didn’t get the opportunity to finish as Valera’s fist collided with his nose with a resounding  _ crack! _ He recoiled in both surprise and pain. Valera didn’t give him a chance to recover. He kicked the man squarely in the ribs and watched him collapse with a rattle-like wheeze.

Parvati took advantage of the defeat of the group’s leader by stomping the foot of the woman restraining her and forcefully shoving her, slamming her into the jeering crowd pushing in at all sides. This resulted in more pushing and shoving in the crowd and naturally also resulted in more fights, as most drunk outings with Valera tended to go.

With the majority of the bar’s patrons descended into violent scramblings, Valera took the opportunity to make his way over to Felix. Felix lay on the floor curled into fetal position trying to avoid getting tripped over, failing miserably to do so as Valera dodged out of the way of a falling man. He grabbed Felix’s arm and hoisted him to his feet.

“Thanks Cap, you’re the best!” Felix yelled over the commotion. “Can we go back to the ship now? I don’t think I want to be here anymore.”

"Yes, yes I’m the best and most fantastic. Now let’s grab Parv and scram. I don’t want to be here when that tall fucker gets back up.”

He spotted that the tall fucker in question was stumbling to his feet, holding his bleeding nose in one hand and an empty Purpleberry Wine bottle in the other. He spat bloody phlegm on the floor before catching Valera’s eye and making a beeline for him. Valera reached for his revolver before mentally slapping himself. He’d be too drunk to hit the broad side of a space-barn.  _ Space-barn? Were people still practicing agriculture? Or did we move past that as a species? Well cystypigs exist so there’s probably sti- _

“Captain!” Felix called out from somewhere behind him.

Valera snapped out of that lane of thought just in time to watch the tall man rear an arm back and smash the bottle against his head. The world exploded into pain and went dark.

—

Phineas was refilling Bubbles’ feeding trough when the sensors went off, indicating that the Unreliable had arrived. He sighed, giving Bubbles a farewell scratch under the chin before getting up to secure his experiments and then more importantly - himself.

“Wouldn’t kill him to send a warning,” Phineas muttered aloud. Not that he didn’t hate the surprise visits. There’s only so much experimentation he could do towards the colonists while he didn’t have an adequate chemical supply. Valera’s visits were starting to break up the monotony of failed experiment after experiment. It was definitely refreshing to have someone to talk to. Bubbles wasn’t much of a conversationalist. Honestly, he was starting to look forward to them.

He busied himself in his notes until the door to his lab opened. Where he expected to see the tall, gangly Captain, confident in his walk and ready to enthuse Phineas about his recent adventures or just simply to ask how his day was going sometimes, he instead saw the two he remembered to be Valera’s companions carrying the man instead.

“Dr. Welles! We need your help!” Said the dark-haired young man carrying Valera’s legs. He dropped his captain’s legs and ran to the glass separating him and Phineas, slamming his palms against it, disregarding the intercom entirely. This one must be Felix then.

“He got glassed right against the head, doctor. Fell straight unconscious. Only thing is - he hasn't woken up. Thought he would get up and shake it off in a couple minutes like he usually does. But it’s been more than an hour,” Parvati explained as she set Valera down on the floor up against some stray lab equipment.

“Like he usually does?” Phineas asked incredulously.

“Right! He’s usually up and at ‘em by now!” Felix exclaimed as he missed the point. “None of us knew any doctor-type stuff like you do, so Vic thought we should take you here.”

At least he could count on someone on that ship having a shred of sense. 

“I thought it might have something to do with all that time he spent as a slab of ice,” Parvati said.

“It’s entirely possible it might be some sort of...post-hibernation trauma,” Phineas rused. A spike of anxiety ran through him. He should’ve kept Valera around longer. Watched for things like this. It wasn’t like the field of dehibernation was particularly advanced. He was practically the pioneer of it. Of course things could go wrong after successful reanimation.

“Bring him around to the lab door. I’ll see what I can do.”

Phineas began unsealing the lab door as the two brought Valera to it. He felt uneasy. He’s never had visitors  _ period _ before Valera. He’s never opened the door for anybody. He only kept it open for as long as it took for Parvati and Felix to transfer the man. He grunted in effort as he shifted Valera into a sort of bridal carry, if the groom happened to be an out-of-shape old man. Valera’s head lolled into his neck, his long hair tickling it faintly.

“I’ll do my best. Don’t touch  _ anything _ while I’m gone.”

With one hand, Phineas hurriedly swept aside the assorted notes and equipment sitting on a long wheeled table to the floor before Valera joined them, too. He set the captain down and gave him a cursory inspection. His hair was matted in blood and he could see stray bits of glass glittering under the fluorescents like little stars. Gauze was clumsily applied around his head. Nice to know they tried. His neck felt cold without Valera’s hot breath exhaling against it. Phineas huffed and started wheeling him to the makeshift medical bay he’d set up in one of the back rooms after an especially nasty chemical run. 

Hours later, Phineas looked over the man sleeping in his bed. His unkempt hair splayed out on the pillow as he rested, free of blood and glass but smelling faintly of Purpleberry Wine. He looked more relaxed in asleep than awake. It was hardly noticeable, but Valera always seemed to hold a tension in his brow despite his otherwise carefree demeanor. 

Valera shifted in his sleep and a hand slipped out from under the covers. Phineas noted that the knuckles were split and crusted with dried blood, probably from clocking some authority figure in the jaw. He haltingly took his hand and ran his thumb lightly over the wounds. Battered and bruised, but not broken. Carefully he cleaned and dressed the cuts. Phineas tried to touch the man’s hand in a detached medical manner but in reality the long years of being on the run hadn’t done much for him socially. Honestly he couldn’t remember the last time he willingly touched someone. It probably wouldn’t hurt to indulge a bit, would it?

He turned Valera’s hand over, to check for other wounds, of course. His hands were long and wiry like the rest of him and roughly calloused, covered in small nicks and scrapes. Phineas would have to lecture him on taking care of himself when he woke up. If he woke up. Phineas gripped Valera’s hand tightly in response to that traitorous line of thought. No, he would not entertain that suggestion. He’s brought Valera back to life before and he could do it again.

_ Practicing bedside manner important, aids recovery _ , he remembered from a line he jotted down in his old dehibernation experimentation notes. Another line came back to him, a mantra he repeated while looking over Valera’s frozen body. _ _

“You’re doing fine, Valera.” 

—

Valera awoke to an uncomfortable pressure in his hand.

“You’re squeezing a tad hard if you don’t mind Doc.”

Phineas startled and dropped his hand. “Ah I didn’t...realize you were awake. How are you feeling?”

Valera propped himself up against the pillows in the unfamiliar bed in the unfamiliar room. Drab metal interior, scrawled notes on every available surface, and uncomfortably cold. He’d be unable to identify the room as a bedroom if there wasn’t a bed in it. Phineas sat tensely in a chair pulled up close to the bed.

“Not ba-“ His reply was cut short as pain bloomed behind his eyes. He rubbed his temples and laid back against the pillows, “Actually just peachy.”

Phineas let out a small huff of amusement, “Hold on,” he said and reached towards the end table where a tray of menagerie medical supplies lay. “I will say though this is a much more positive outcome than spontaneous liquefaction or the like. A mild concussion with a side of reactivated dehibernation trauma is manageable. You being a sopping mess on the floor is less so. Can hardly help your fellow colonists in that state. How’s your memory? Can you remember anything that happened last time you were conscious?” 

“Something about agriculture. Where am I?” Valera asked. He definitely wasn’t on the Unreliable. He had a better sense of interior decorating than this.

“You’re at my lab, my, ah- room actually. The members of the ‘Valera’s Home for Mid-twenty-year-old Kids’ brought you in. I’m afraid I only have one bed. I thought it would be more pleasant than waking up on a provisional gurney”

He felt a surge of affection at that. He could just imagine his crew fretting over him. Felix and Parvati carrying his unconscious body back to the ship, Felix probably almost dropping him in his hurry and Parvati worryingly chastising him, Max demanding to know what happened and getting into pointless arguments before ultimately taking control over the situation, ADA being generally unhelpful like usual.

He watched Phineas read the labels of a few pill bottles and toss them aside to join the rest of the unorganized mess on the floor before finding an apparently satisfactory one. He grabbed a coffee cup inscribed with the phrase “World's third best corporate assistant!” and leaned back to the bedside. Valera reached to grab the cup but his hands were lightly slapped away as Phineas instead tilted his chin back and brought the cup to his mouth. Valera raised his eyebrows in surprise but greedily drank from it. He hadn’t noticed over the building migraine, but his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. How long was he out?

“Wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.” 

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m not made of glass.”

“Ah, yes...of course,” Phineas replied and wrung his hands.

Valera noticed he seemed more frazzled and subdued than usual. His eyes were red-rimmed from lack of sleep and he shook vaguely from either the cold or his caffenoids. Or both. Probably both. Valera shivered involuntarily at the reminder of the cold and pulled the blankets around him snug. The blankets were layered on top of each other and each clashed horribly in pattern and color, suggesting Phineas had pulled them out of storage for him to keep him warm. Valera felt a pang of sentiment at the thought.

“Are you cold, Phineas?”

Phineas looked to be lost in his thoughts before snapping to attention. “I’m more or less used to it. It’s been on the fritz as of recently. I haven’t exactly gotten around to fixing it.”

Valera shifted so his back was against the wall and patted the spot next to him on the bed.

“Oh! I wouldn’t want to well, impose,” Phineas faltered.

“I wouldn’t ask if I thought you were.”

Phineas got up from his chair and hesitantly sat down to his right, leaving a quite good amount of inches between them.

“Can’t share the blankets if you don’t move closer, doc”

He chuffed and shifted closer, close enough that their knees touched. Valera adjusted the blankets so that they hung around their shoulders. The whole scene was frightfully domestic. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it. He’d left normal human affection back on Earth.

“Did I scare you that bad, Phineas?”

Phineas pulled his side of the blankets closer in on himself and toyed with the frayed edges of his sleeves, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. It’s the first time Valera has seen him out of his depth. He’d always been composed and confident before him. Of course that was behind layers of glass or through the grainy filter of his transmissions to the Unreliable.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you without some sort of barrier between us. Physically that is. I don’t think the time you woke me up from stasis counts. Can’t say I was completely there for that one. Mentally that is,” Valera paused before continuing. “Why do you hide so much? I’ve never seen you outside the lab, much less the bulletproof glass.”

Phineas looked genuinely taken aback by the question. “It’s been a, ah, long thirty-five years. I guess you couldn’t say I haven’t gotten out that much. Just a slight bit busy trying to reviving the colonists and running from the board. You could say social relations were at the bottom of my list of priorities. Hell! I used to dance back before all this!” He said, gesticulating widely in their shared space. 

Valera smiled warmly at the little outburst near the end of his admission. That was more like the Phineas he was used to. The one he calls late in the Unreliable’s night cycle when he can’t sleep and lets him talk out his theories until it lulled him back under. The one who listens to Valera’s stories of his planetary adventures while he works, sometimes adding his own colorful commentary. The one who refuses to put down that damn cystypig walking around the lab because he’s secretly gotten attached to it.

Valera realized this man was very special to him.

“I’m just not used to all this. Being around other people again. But I must admit, it has been...nice. Even with you insisting on bringing every rogue you pick up down there with you to my- and I must remind you - very secret laboratory. I’m adjusting.”

“I could slow down if you want.”

“I don’t know what you’re possibly insinuating,” Phineas looked away. Valera was surprised to see him colored slightly.

Valera slipped a pinky over Phineas’ hand where it lay on the bed. He looked back.

“I think you’ve been alone far too long, Phineas.” Valera felt Phineas stiffen under his finger. His eyes widened as he processed the statement.

“That’s complete balderdash. What could you possibly see in an old man like me?”

“Technically I think I’m older than you. The cryostasis did wonders for my skin though.” And very slowly, like ice thawing, Valera felt him relax. He was surprised though when Phineas took his hand fully and began to trace his fingers around his bandaged knuckles.

“You should take better care of yourself. I worry about you, you know.”

“Well, I do have a dashing doctor to take care of me now. I think I can take a few liberties.”

“Law, you’re so insufferably sappy it’s no wonder you had no relationships on Earth.”

Valera let out open-mouthed laughter as he relinquished his hand from Phineas’ grip and set both hands on his shoulders. He watched a smile break out on his face and he let his hands trail upwards until he cupped the sides of the doctor’s jaw. Phineas all but melted to his touch, closing his eyes and leaning into his hand. He really needed to get this man out more. Hell knows when the last time the poor guy had touched a real human being in the past decades.

Seeing as Phineas would probably be content to stay in that position for presumably the rest of the day , Valera took more of an initiative and shifted closer, almost in his lap. He moved his arms around Phineas’ shoulders and pulled him into a hug. He buried his face into his neck and threaded a hand through his wiry hair. Phineas smelled of antiseptic and something burnt. Most likely some unfortunate specimen. It wasn’t an unpleasant smell, though he’d have to smell a lot worse to rival the recent stench of Edgewater that permeated his memories.

“Is this okay?” Valera asked against his neck.

“It’s wonderful,” Phineas replied, nodding against Valera’s shoulder. He felt Phineas reciprocate the hug and hold him tight as if the doctor was expecting him to run away.

Valera smiled fondly. “I would’ve done this a while ago if I knew this was how you’d react.”

“You would've had to get past the bulletproof glass first.”

“Was that a metaphor or are you being facetious about your isolationist tendencies?” He heard the intake of breath Phineas was taking to respond hitch as leaned back slightly and pressed a feather-light kiss to the man’s neck.

“Stop that. It tickles and you know it.” Phineas huffed and gently tugged on a lock of his hair. Valera relented by pressing more up his neck, delighting at the little noises Phineas made as he went. He stopped at the underside of his jaw and carded his hands through his hair again. 

“Have you done this before?” Phineas murmured.

“Law, no. I’m just winging it.”

“I suppose that’s the most ‘you’ answer I could’ve hoped for.”

Valera pulled back to look at Phineas. His face was flushed hot and he had a hard time meeting the captain’s eyes but the edges of his mouth had a dopey curl to them. In the shadows of the dimmed lights, his tired eye bags were made more prominent. His wild hair way in even more of disarray from his combing. He was resplendent in Valera’s eyes.

Valera smoothed the harsh sleep-wrought lines of his eyes over with a finger and watched the edges crinkle in delight. He tenderly laid several kisses at the corners of his eyes and brushed his nose against Phineas’ as he pulled back but was shocked when Phineas surged forward. He felt a hand curl around the nape of his neck and another grasping his shirt tightly as Phineas kissed him in full.

They weren’t very experienced with it. Phineas accidentally clacked his teeth against Valera’s and Valera was sure he still had drunk-breath. But it was perfect in a way. Phineas leaned back with a self-satisfied smirk, the effect of which was ruined by the impressive yawn he let out next.

“Just how many caffenoids have you taken in the past twenty-four hours?” Valera tried to sound cocky but he probably still had a starstruck expression on his face. “Maybe you should lie down. I know you don’t like to sleep all that much but I think you deserve it, looking after my sorry ass. The crew’s gonna wonder how I’m doing anyhow. Like if I died or not.”

Valera got up to leave but was stopped by a hand tugging on his sleeve.

“Please don’t leave yet -- I might to..ah, monitor you. In case there are further complications, yes,” Phineas stuttered. It was really something to see the great doctor so flustered.

“Ah, yes, to monitor me.”

“Don’t get smart with me.”

Valera let Phineas tug him back down to the bed and arrange him on his side, facing the room. Phineas pulled the blankets over them and curled up beside him against his back. He felt his cold nose against his nape and an arm reach around his side, settling near his heart. Guess he technically wasn’t lying about monitoring him. He could definitely get used to this. Having someone to come back to.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any game inaccuracies I have no memory and the wiki is BARE.  
I've never written fanfiction before but god I just had to get this out because if I don't have content catered to specifcally me I'll die.  
Talk to me about phineas please or tell me if you like this I guess@unlawfulroach.tumblr


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